ForscherInnen der MFPL liefern wichtige neue Einblicke in Muskelprotein
ForscherInnen um Kristina Djinović-Carugo von den Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) der Universität Wien und der Medizinischen Universität Wien haben erstmals die molekulare Struktur und Steuerung des lebenswichtigen Muskelproteins α-Actinin aufgeklärt. Die neue Studie erlaubt nie dagewesene Einblicke in die Funktionsweise des Proteins und seine Rolle bei Muskelerkrankungen. Die in Zusammenarbeit mit dem King’s College London (KCL) gewonnen Erkenntnisse, die zu verbesserten Behandlungsmöglichkeiten beitragen können, erscheinen im hochkarätigen Fachjournal Cell. (more…)
*By studying tumor cell behavior in a novel “scaffold-free” 3-D system, researchers have determined that the protein Pannexin1 may play an important biomechanical role in binding tissues together, an effect that is lost in cancerous cells.*
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — First there is the tumor and then there’s the horrible question of whether the cancerous cells will spread. Scientists increasingly believe that the structural properties of the tumor itself, such as how tightly the tumor cells are packed together, play a decisive role in the progression of the disease. In a new study, researchers show that the protein Pannexin1, known to have tumor-suppressive properties, plays an important role in keeping the cells within a tissue closely packed together, an effect that may be lost with cancer.
“In healthy tissues, the recently discovered protein Pannexin1 may be playing an important role in upholding the mechanical integrity of the tissue,” said first author and Brown University M.D./Ph.D. student Brian Bao. “When we develop cancer, we lose Pannexin1 and we lose this integrity.” (more…)
It’s a researcher’s dream: a simple, noninvasive test to detect life-threatening cancer, heart disease, or other maladies while they’re still treatable.
A team of University of Minnesota researchers is in hot pursuit of that goal, using one of the simplest means imaginable: testing spit. They’ve discovered that conditions such as breast and oral cancer leak certain proteins into saliva, and if detected, such proteins can be “biomarkers” for the disease.(more…)
